One second from giving up!

I swear I'm about to give up, for two freaking weeks my scale has told me the  wrong weight, I'm going insane.

I have a minimum of 500 cals deficit daily plus 3 days 275 exercise cals and 2 days 100 cals, i should have at least lost a pound but no, i went from 261.2 to 261 last week and today 259.6, when i should be 257.

I'm taking a exercise break and I'm gonna check my weight daily and see whats happening.

Your body isn't a maths problem.... There's more to body-weight than calories in, calories out.  There's muscle, fluid, bone, fat, skin.... lots of scope for variations.  You're not massively overweight so you can't expect to lose 2lbs a week   You may be eating more than you think or doing less exercise than you think, quite easily.  Gym machines are notoriously inaccurate.  If you've had a deficit of about 500 cals a day you'd expect to lose 1lb a week.... which you have.

Instead of basing your sense of success on the number on the scales try to see the bigger picture.   You have lost 1.6lbs in 2 weeks..... (161.2 starting point?) .. check out what 1.6lbs of butter looks like and it's not to be sniffed at!  You're eating more healthily which is a good thing to do in itself.  And you're exercising regular... also a smart move even if you never lose another ounce.  Try to see other benefits... clearer skin? more energy? clothes fitting better?... weight is a crude barometer.

I'd caution you against weighing daily... You're already overreacting about your weekly weigh-ins because they're not going down fast enough.  If you start looking at the daily fluctuations you'll really struggle.

I started with 280 and i've been loosing 2 lbs weekly, 4 weeks ago i upped my exercise time and lost even more so i change my diet and this last Thursday i weighted my self and i was at 257.6 and i didn't over eat for the rest of the week so its something keeping my weight down.

if you are trying to lose weight an "exercise break" doesn't seem like the answer.......

the scale doesn't lie, you are probably eating more than you think or burning less than you think.  Especially if you are relying on gym machines to tell you the amount of cals burned.

don't give up!!! i have been down this road before (more than once!!) and trust me, giving up is not the answer! all it will do is make you even more unhappy. stick with it- at least the number is still going down. that in itself is a success

Original Post by morganbclaw:

the scale doesn't lie,

 Actually, it does: http://primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/library/w eight/scale.htm

gi-jane is right.  1.6 pounds is roughly 5,100 calories.  That's a lot of calories!  You just cannot realistically loose weight much faster than you are.  Think of it this way.  How long did it take you to gain all your weight?  Probably longer than 2 weeks. 

Patience is key.  I know it's easier said than done :P

Pitch the scale and buy a measuring tape, for heaven's sakes.  Muscle weighs more than fat, and God knows how much water we can retain on any given day.  SO many reasons why weight might vary by several pounds from one day to the next.  MEASURE your success.  But don't measure more than once a week.

Thank you for all the positive comments, its hard when you use the lost as inspiration and i have been thinking about measuring.

The other factor that you're probably not taking into account is that your body becomes accustomed to exercise and requires less energy to perform the same exercise over time.  Also, muscles that have been worked retain water.

My weight loss chart looked like a seismograph instead of a smooth line.

I invite you to look at my profile with weight chart and weight history.  See how long it's taken me to get more than halfway there?  The thing is, I never give up.  Never.  By this time I know what I'm doing and I have confidence that if I keep on doing it right, eventually the weight will be gone.  I've been here almost every day since January, 2006. 

Your weight is going to go up and down.  Just log it and watch that green trend line on the chart - as long as it's going downward, you are losing weight.  Also, look at the positives.  Total up what you've lost and divide by the number of weeks.  I bet you've averaged at least a pound lost a week which is ideal.

More good news!  As you exercise you build muscle which is more dense than fat.  So you'll get thinner although it might not show on the scale.  Also, muscle burns calories.  Fat just sits there.  With your increased muscle mass you'll burn more calories!  Your body will become a lean, mean fat busting machine!

You go!

You know what?  I just don't believe this whole situation that a person need 56789 calories to gain a pound because I easily gain a pound on 1,600-1,700 calories.....easily.  And Im 5"4  .....118-120 Pounds ....changes everyday since I gain weight so easily which sucks.....So no I don't think your eating too much its simply that some people HAVE to starve themselves on less calories than the average person which really sucks...but thats the way it is at least for me I can't even lose weight anymore my body like eats up the food and saves it for years.....sucks.

(I just don't believe this whole situation that a person need 56789 calories to gain a pound because I easily gain a pound on 1,600-1,700 calories.....easily.  And Im 5"4  .....118-120 Pounds ....changes everyday since I gain weight so easily which sucks.....)

Well it actually only takes 3500 calories to gain a pound, which is 500 calories extra per day...equivalent to about chocolate bar and two bananas. And your weight will always fluctuate day to day by up to a few pounds. You cannot gain 2-3 pounds of actual fat in one day. If you didn't drink much water and ate a few teaspoons of extra salt your body would be able to retain 3 lbs of water easily. That is why it is recommended that you weigh yourself at most once a week, in the morning, on the same day of the week. And starving yourself is never a good option. 

Original Post by igottapi4:

I started with 280 and i've been loosing 2 lbs weekly, 4 weeks ago i upped my exercise time and lost even more so i change my diet and this last Thursday i weighted my self and i was at 257.6 and i didn't over eat for the rest of the week so its something keeping my weight down.

Sorry, your original post started with '261' and then said you were '157' If you're over 250lbs have you been to see the doctor about your physical condition?  There are some medical conditions.... metabolic syndrome, PCOS, insulin resistance, thyroid conditions.... that can make weight-loss slower than it might be.  In the case of the first three conditions managing blood-sugars and insulin production (via diet and medication) will make weight-loss progress a little easier.  In the case of thyroid problems (relatively rare admittedly) medication can correct the problem.